


show me why you're strong.

by j_whirl44



Category: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast)
Genre: Gen, holds up these two i just think they're neat, she/they Earhart bc i am me, shippy if you squint i suppose
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-26 19:14:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30110715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/j_whirl44/pseuds/j_whirl44
Summary: A short debrief after they come back
Relationships: Amelia Earhart & Zolf Smith
Comments: 6
Kudos: 10





	show me why you're strong.

"Mister Smith can I see you quickly please," Earhart says sharply. Her voice commanding as ever, along with an edge of something else.

Zolf snaps his head to look at them. He feels the look from the rest of the party on him as well. He nods.

"Well wait we just got back, captain, surely this can wait-" Azu tries to say.

"Please I won't ask again," Earhart says, “now.”

Azu goes to protest further but Zolf reaches out and puts a hand on her forearm. "It's okay," he whispers up to her. He turns back to the gnome, "sure, captain."

Earhart rushes off, towards the bunk rooms they were given. Zolf sighs and follows as close as he can behind.

The truth is he was exhausted. The trip wasn't easy, though he could go out on a guess and say that traveling through portals made by seeds never were.

What he really wants is a hot meal and a long rest, but he doesn’t think he’ll get either of those until Earhart talks to him first.

They make their way into the bunks and the room is colder than he remembers it. The fire that's usually burning is down to embers. The beds are made and they look clean and gods he just wants to lie down.

He shakes his head to help him focus and he looks at Earhart. He now notices just how tense they look. Her shoulders are up high and her hands are balled into fists. He's seen this before and it makes his heart leap a little. He takes a breath and steps a little closer to them.

"Captain," he says gently.

They jump at that and look at him. Her eyes look scared almost, and now he's just a little confused.

"Earhart," he says. He tries to reach out a hand but when she back away slightly he stops. He moves back and puts his hands up in front of him. A peaceful gesture.

This seems to calm Earhart down and she steps closer to him again. They stand in silence for a moment. It's funny, Zolf's usually not used to being the taller one, he bites down a bit of a smile as his captain's harsh gaze looks up at him.

Earhart brings their hands up to his face, and that shakes him out of whatever he was thinking.

They move all around. Earhart's hands tracing his cheeks and nose and down to where the tips of his ears are. She pulls at them and Zolf yelps.

"Oi! What are you doing?" He shrieks.

Earhart doesn't answer as they keep running their hands over him, down to his shoulders now. They stop there and linger as she gives a squeeze to both of them. There’s still a look in her eyes that he can’t place.

He brings up one of his hands and places it on one of their wrists. He squeezes it now too. She looks at him with a timid look that he’s not used to seeing on her.

He smiles, “Captain,” he begins, “I’m here. In front of you. I made it back. We all did,” he says. His tone is calm and reassuring and his sentences are brief. Earhart relaxes a bit into him and Zolf holds her steady.

She looks almost embarrassed as her cheeks blush and she takes a step back, bringing her arms around herself now. “I know that,” they say with a bit of a nervous tick. They no longer meet Zolf’s gaze. “Obviously you’re here, I don’t- don’t know what you mean,” they try and be as convincing as possible.

Zolf chuckles and Earhart’s face turns offended quickly. He clears his throat. “So-sorry, captain, it’s just I…” he’s not sure where to go with that sentence so he changes the subject, “what did you want to talk to me about then?” he finishes. He suddenly really finds himself unable to stand as his metal legs ache so he sits on one of the bottom bunks. Earhart stays standing, looming over him now.

She continues to keep her distance as she sighs, “I don’t know,” she says honestly. He looks at her in a surprised but calm way. They click their tongue, “no I meant. I mean. I don’t know how to ask you think, Mister Smith, but….what happened,” she says.

Zolf looks at the floor and lets out a long sigh. He clasps his hands together to keep them from visibly shaking.

He thinks of the Feryn he saw. The one scared and shell shocked and trapped in some sort of twisted reality that neither he nor Zolf was meant to be in. He twists his ring around a couple times.

Earhart notices that and opens her mouth to speak again, “right this was dumb I’m sorry Mister Smith we don’t have to talk about this right now,” she says. She steps over and places a hand on top of Zolf’s, bringing him a little bit out of his haze. “I’ll leave you to rest.”

They say that but then they don’t leave. They stay holding on to his hands and Zolf looks up at them.

It’s now that he notices just how golden the captain’s eyes are. More importantly, he notices just how tired and sad and  _ angry _ they look. He assumes they’re not so unlike his own in that regard. Earhart’s someone who’s been through a lot and in a short amount of time, there’s no telling what goes on inside their head and now, as he looks at them and feels the warmth of their hand in his own he feels something tug at him.

That feeling of respect he has towards his captain making way into something more. Something fonder. He takes her hands and laces their fingers together. Earhart lets out a short breath but doesn’t pull away. He squeezes it. She squeezes back.

Gently, Zolf pulls her in so she’s now between his legs. Even though he’s sitting they’re still at eye level with each other. He looks over her face again and he can see her doing much of the same.

Earhart brings her other hand back up to rest on where his neck meets his shoulder and they both take one final moment before meeting in the middle.

The captain’s lips are soft and taste of cinnamon, a combination he wasn’t expecting from her, but he gladly accepts it. He takes one hand away from where theirs are intertwined and puts it on the small of her back, pulling her in just a little more. Earhart moves easily, she moves her hand on his shoulder to the back of his neck and scratches the back of it lightly.

Zolf sighs a bit into the kiss and that makes his cheeks burn. The captain laughs but doesn’t break it.

Somewhere along the way it becomes a bit more desperate for the both of them. Zolf leans into it as much as he can, seemingly needing to feel the warmth of Earhart’s body and vice versa. Earhart leans down as much as she can. They let go of their intertwined hands to let them explore one another. Zolf moves his to her hip and Earhart moves their to his chest. She stops over his heart and presses gently. He smiles.

This isn’t the first time he’s kissed his captain. Way back between the navy and...whatever he’s doing now. When he was with the pirates. That captain was a force to be reckoned with, and as her first mate Zolf did a lot what he’s done with Earhart. He became a confidant, and one night after too much drink things just happened.  
  
That experience was different, he knew, but he can’t help but roll his eyes a bit at himself as he finds himself in a similar situation again.

He finally pulls away and looks at Earhart who’s eyes are still closed. He’s breathing heavy, they both are.

“Captain,” he breathes out.

Earhart finally opens their eyes and looks at him. Their chests are rising and falling together as they let silence fall in the room.

She kisses him again, it’s a little less urgent, but still some of it lingers.

She keeps her hand right over his heart and when they break apart again he looks down on it. Like before he reaches a hand and covers hers with his own.

He feels the faint beat of his heart under is and he smiles at Earhart, who returns him with a shy smile of their own.

The moment is intimate. He knows there’s probably not many people to see this side of them. He’s not taking it for granted.

After another few moments of silence, Earhart finally steps back and drops her hand. “I thought I lost you,” she whispers, “thought I lost all of you. Again and I just…I can’t have that,” she confesses finally.

Zolf’s blood runs a bit cold and his stomach lunges forward.

He feels stupid for not even connecting those dots until now, too caught up in his own head about what happened. He stands up and walks to her. He opens his arms to her but she doesn’t take it right away.

“I’m right here, captain, you can’t get rid of me that easy,” he says.

They snort and roll their eyes, a little bit of that spark back in their eyes, “if only I could, Mister Smith,” she grumbles.

Zolf laughs and shrugs, “We made promises to each other. You still need to hold up your end of the deal,” he says.

Earhart nods, “as do you,” she says, not missing a beat.

Zolf gives a stiff nod. The air changes between them, back to how it was.

They give each other a look and then Earhart gives him one last quick kiss that Zolf doesn’t really process until it’s over.

“It’s back to work then,” they say. They stand up straighter and head out the door without waiting for Zolf’s response.

He sighs and smiles as he straights up himself, “Aye, captain,” he says.

He follows her out to the rest of the group.

**Author's Note:**

> thinking about the relationship between these two :///// especially because they're separated right now ://////// and that makes me weep ://///////////
> 
> thanks for reading!!! hope you enjoyed :D


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